![]() In combat, mistakes cost lives - maybe their own. I got to know Admiral Reilly, the commander of the battle group. Admirals (Flag officers), generally have masters or doctorate degrees because at the academy they study engineering, but in their careers they become diplomats and need to know the cultures and histories of the countries in which they operate. During their careers if they make the cut, they go to schools such as The Navy War College or the National Defense University. There have been about 10 NFL players who graduated from the service academies. Obviously, they don’t do it for the money but after their military career these people are very marketable.Įducation: A Navy officer starts as an ensign (or in the Marine corps, a second lieutenant) and goes through a constant culling process so that the cream rises to the top. Unless you are Roger Staubach, you don’t go to Annapolis to play in the NFL. You are obligated to serve your country for a minimum of 5 years. In addition, you need the fortitude and resilience to handle the demands of the military. It is my opinion that the service academies are as rigorous as any Ivy League school. A third is graduation from the service academies. (A mustang is an enlisted person who gets a commission in a number of ways). A very few admirals get to that rank by starting out as enlisted men and are called mustangs. ![]() Management: I got to know much of the crew from the admiral in charge to the crewmen. Granted, a battle group is a not for profit, but if it weren’t there to guard the shipping lanes, protect against enemy ships or submarines, project a show of force around the globe, defend our country and its population and economy, corporations would not be able to be supplied or project themselves internationally.ĭoes your company have a mission statement? What are you aspiring to be or do? The primary objective of that battle group is its mission. Let’s get to the point of the business analogies. ![]() Nothing at Great Adventure comes close in terms of the wild ride. You can imagine hitting giant waves at 46 mph. The troops, on the other hand, are inserted by helicopter or Ospreys and the supplies are brought in by the LCAC’s and landing craft. Top speed of the LCAC’s is about 46 mph+. It used to be that landing craft crawled in at 5 mph and they (and their crew, passengers and supplies) got chewed up by machine guns, mortars, artillery, missiles, mines and other forms of resistance. Landings are no longer done Saving Private Ryan style. They carry tanks, trucks, supplies, ammo, etc. One of the first things we saw were Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC’s) on the horizon heading toward the ships. I noticed that there are no bridges at the Norfolk harbor entrance, but rather tunnels because a downed bridge would block the ships from going to sea. The coordination of ships, planes and helicopters transpired like a symphony as should the components of a corporation. ![]() I smelled fresh paint, just one weapon in the never-ending battle to fight corrosion. Routine maintenance and more serious stuff had been performed before departure. That is because the aircraft are stationed at Oceana, VA and the landing craft and LCAC’s (landing craft air cushion) join the ships at sea and are based in the Norfolk area. Monday morning, as scheduled, the carrier departed Norfolk with an empty flight deck and near empty cargo bay. We have been friends since 7th grade and remain close today. Before becoming a flag officer, he piloted P-3 Orion Subchasers. We were due to depart on a Monday, so on Sunday I flew to Norfolk to spend the day with Admiral Byron (Jake) Tobin (USN ret.), who had been the commander of what is the world’s largest Navy base accounting for about 25% of our naval forces. (Carriers don’t go to sea without submarine escorts). Escorting us were Aegis class cruisers, destroyers, support ships and a nuclear submarine or submarines. My brother was a marine on the first one, serving in Vietnam. This is the second carrier with that name. When the war in Iraq was getting hot, I was a guest of the Navy on a deployment of the aircraft carrier Iwo Jima and her battle group from Norfolk to New York for Fleet Week. ![]()
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